Aurora
aurora orchestra london season 2012
what can you hear?
aurora orchestra 2012 calendar nicholas collon Principal Conductor and Artistic Director
LOVE SONG FOR THE CITY
20 february, wigmore hall
25 february, roundhouse
2&3 march, little angel theatre
figures from the ancient
love song for the city
mozart with puppets
Britten / Satie Ian Bostridge / Angelika Kirchschlager
Strauss / Gordon / Bernstein Film by Bill Morrison
Little Angel puppeteers
WUNDERKIND 13 march, lso st luke’s
21 april, kings place
8 july, wigmore hall
far, far away
brahms re-imagined
wunderkind
Wagner / Anderson / Copland Harry Oakwood
Brahms Maxim Rysanov
Korngold / Schoenberg
E Autu TO m Tourn
13 july, lso st luke’s
14 september, kings place
battle
mini-brahms
Biber / Holst / Shostakovich / Philips Bboy’s Attic / Company Decalage
Brahms Little Angel puppeteers
14 october, qeh, southbank centre
18 november, lso st luke’s
decasia Michael Gordon Film by Bill Morrison
klezmahler Mahler / Klezmer
4–13 october , linbury studio theatre, royal opera house, covent garden
english touring opera Britten / Maxwell Davies / Ullmann / Bach
15 december, kings place
brahms double Brahms Anthony Marwood / Christoph Richter
It’s show time for London in 2012, and Aurora is bringing its most inspiring and eclectic season to date to venues across the capital. As ever, collaboration is at the heart of our work, and we continue to push the boundaries of what you can experience in an orchestral concert: films by Bill Morrison, folk band Harry Oakwood, breakdance, klezmer, and concerts for children with the puppeteers of Little Angel Theatre. We are also delighted to be welcoming a host of distinguished soloists: Ian Bostridge and Angelika Kirchschlager perform works by Satie and Britten; young viola superstar Maxim Rysanov sets his charismatic stamp on a chamber programme at Kings Place; and Anthony Marwood and Christoph Richter join us for Brahms’ monumental Double Concerto. Alongside our flagship partnerships at LSO St Luke’s and Kings Place, Aurora will also be appearing at other iconic London venues including Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio Theatre, and Camden’s Roundhouse. Many concerts will either be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 or streamed online, and our busy touring schedule continues to take our programmes beyond London – keep an eye on www.auroraorchestra.com for up-to-date information. We couldn’t be more excited about the year ahead – I hope you enjoy looking through the following pages, and look forward to welcoming you to your next Aurora performance. john harte general manager
“A fabulous young chamber orchestra that in six years of existence has emerged as one of the most dynamic, innovative and open-minded groups of its kind.” the telegraph, may 2011, on aurora becoming the youngest-ever winner of the royal philharmonic society’s ensemble award.
20 monday
february
BRITTEN PHAEDRA SATIE ‘THE DEATH OF SOCRATES’ FROM SOCRATE ANGELIKA KIRCHSCHLAGER MEZZO-SOPRANO IAN BOSTRIDGE TENOR NICHOLAS COLLON CONDUCTOR PLUS WORKS BY HANDEL AND SCARLATTI PERFORMED BY THE ENGLISH CONCERT WIGMORE HALL MONDAY 20 FEB (7.30PM) TICKETS: £20 / £30 / £35 / £40 WWW.WIGMORE-HALL.ORG.UK 020 7935 2141 36 WIGMORE STREET, W1U 2BP
Power; cataclysm; vengeance. Aurora opens its 2012 season at Wigmore Hall alongside two of the world’s great recitalists, Angelika Kirchschlager and Ian Bostridge. Britten’s late masterpiece Phaedra charts a course from forbidden obsession to crime, tragedy and death; Satie’s ethereal Socrate recounts the final hours of the great Athenian philosopher who challenged the state once too often.
25 saturday
february
LOVE SONG FOR THE CITY
RICHARD STRAUSS METAMORPHOSEN MICHAEL GORDON GOTHAM (WITH FILM BY BILL MORRISON) BERNSTEIN (ARR. IAIN FARRINGTON) WEST SIDE STORY SYMPHONIC DANCES NICHOLAS COLLON CONDUCTOR
ROUNDHOUSE SATURDAY 25 FEB (7.30PM) TICKETS: £10 / £15 / £20 / £25 WWW.ROUNDHOUSE.ORG.UK 0844 482 8008 CHALK FARM ROAD, NW1 8EH
Act 1: Dresden laid waste Act 2: Gotham rises Act 3: City life, love, death Aurora’s debut appearance at Camden’s legendary Roundhouse, Love Song for the City journeys from violence and destruction to rebirth and the vibrancy of urban life. The desolate post-war German cities of Strauss’ Metamorphosen give way to the dizzying growth of modern New York as imagined by Michael Gordon in Gotham, with breathtaking black-and-white film by Bill Morrison. Iain Farrington’s virtuosic arrangement of the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story completes a visceral paean to the city in all its guises.
2/3 friday & saturday
march
MUSIC BY MOZART PRINCIPAL PLAYERS OF AURORA ORCHESTRA LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE PUPPETEERS
LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE FRIDAY 2 MARCH (10 AM, 11.15PM, 1PM) SATURDAY 3 MARCH (11AM, 12.15PM, 1.30PM) DURATION 45 MINUTES AGES 2+ (NB CHILDREN UNDER 2 CANNOT BE ADMITTED TO THE VENUE EXCEPT FOR A BABY-FRIENDLY PERFORMANCE AT 11AM ON SATURDAY) TICKETS: £8 (£6 CONCESSIONS) WWW.LITTLEANGELTHEATRE.COM 020 7226 1787 14 DAGMAR PASSAGE, N1 2DN
Mozart (strings attached). Discover the extraordinary world of puppets: marionettes, glove and rod puppets are brought to life by the music of Mozart, weaving their stories among the musicians. Little Angel Theatre collaborates with members of Aurora in a show inspired by a selection of Mozart’s works, including The Magic Flute Overture and his variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Magical characters and fantastical animals enact their tales as the musicians play…
13 tuesday
march
WAGNER SIEGFRIED IDYLL JULIAN ANDERSON ALHAMBRA FANTASY COPLAND APPALACHIAN SPRING PLUS NEW WORKS BY HANNAH DILKES, GEORGE RIMMER AND JACK SHEEN (WINNERS, 2011 BBC INSPIRE YOUNG COMPOSERS’ COMPETITION) AND ORIGINAL MUSIC BY HARRY OAKWOOD
We’re a long way from home, Harry. HARRY OAKWOOD SLICK HARMONIES AND ROCKSTEADY BEATS NICHOLAS COLLON CONDUCTOR
LSO ST LUKE’S TUESDAY 13 MARCH (7.30PM) TICKETS: £12 / £18 / £25 WWW.LSO.CO.UK/LSOSTLUKES 020 7638 8891 161 OLD STREET, EC1V 9NG
Foot-pounding five-piece folk band Harry Oakwood joins Aurora for a concert inspired by journeys both real and imagined. Iconic works by Wagner and Copland sit alongside Julian Anderson’s dazzling Alhambra Fantasy; new commissions from the winners of the 2011 BBC Inspire Young Composers’ Competition; and original music by Harry. Broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, this performance celebrates Aurora’s Royal Philharmonic Society Ensemble Award.
RPS ENSEMBLE AWARD: WINNER’S CONCERT
21 saturday
april
BRAHMS CLARINET TRIO IN A MINOR (TRANSCRIBED FOR VIOLA BY MAXIM RYSANOV) BRAHMS SCHERZO FROM THE ‘FAE’ SONATA (PERFORMED WITH VIOLA AND PIANO) BRAHMS SERENADE NO. 1 IN D (CHAMBER VERSION) MAXIM RYSANOV VIOLA OLIVER COATES CELLO JOHN REID PIANO PRINCIPAL PLAYERS OF AURORA ORCHESTRA NICHOLAS COLLON CONDUCTOR
KINGS PLACE HALL ONE SATURDAY 21 APRIL (7.30PM) TICKETS: £9.50/£14.50/£19.50/£24.50/£29.50/£34.50 WWW.KINGSPLACE.CO.UK 020 7520 1490 90 YORK WAY, N1 9AG
Brahms: unwrapped; re-conceived; distilled. Firmly established as one of the world’s leading viola players, Maxim Rysanov performs his own transcriptions of two of Brahms’ best-loved chamber works alongside Aurora principals. These gems set the stage for the first Serenade: a masterpiece of boundless invention and rich colour heard here in the chamber orchestration for which it was originally conceived.
8 sunday
july
N U W R E D D N I K KORNGOLD SUITE FOR TWO VIOLINS, CELLO AND PIANO LEFT-HAND SCHOENBERG (ARR. WEBERN) CHAMBER SYMPHONY NO.1 JANE MITCHELL FLUTE TIMOTHY ORPEN CLARINET THOMAS GOULD VIOLIN I JAMIE CAMPBELL VIOLIN II OLIVER COATES CELLO JOHN REID PIANO WIGMORE HALL SUNDAY 8 JULY (11.30AM) TICKETS: £12 (£10 CONCESSIONS) WWW.WIGMORE-HALL.ORG.UK 020 7935 2141 36 WIGMORE STREET, W1U 2BP
5 fingers, 12 tones. This electric programme of twentieth-century chamber music brings together two prodigies of pre-war Vienna. Korngold’s dazzling suite for piano left-hand is paired with Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 1, a masterpiece of harmonic invention that has continued to astonish audiences since its première in 1907.
13 friday
july
BIBER BATTALIA SHOSTAKOVICH (ARR. BARSHAI) STRING QUARTET NO. 3 HOLST (ARR. IAIN FARRINGTON) ‘MARS’ AND ‘VENUS’ FROM THE PLANETS JULIAN PHILIPS NEW WORK FOR CHAMBER ORCHESTRA AND BREAKERS PLUS B-BOY / ORCHESTRAL BATTLE (LIVE CREW BATTLE WITH ORCHESTRATED HIP-HOP) WITH DANCERS FROM BBOY’S ATTIC AND COMPANY DECALAGE MICKAËL ‘MARSO’ RIVIÈRE CHOREOGRAPHER NICHOLAS COLLON CONDUCTOR LSO ST LUKE’S FRIDAY 13 JULY (7.30PM) TICKETS: £12 / £18 / £25 WWW.LSO.CO.UK/LSOSTLUKES 020 7638 8891 161 OLD STREET, EC1V 9NG
Biber vs. B-boys. Juxtaposing breaking (breakdance) and orchestral music as never previously attempted, Battle sees Aurora collaborate with acclaimed breaker collective Company Decalage and choreographer Mickaël ‘Marso’ Rivière. An explosive programme ranges from the virtuosic baroque fireworks of Biber’s Battalia to an orchestral arrangement of Shostakovich’s monumental third string quartet, and a new commission from Julian Philips for chamber orchestra and breakers.
14 friday
september
MUSIC BY BRAHMS WITH LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE PUPPETEERS
KINGS PLACE HALL TWO FRIDAY 14 SEP (11AM / 12.15PM / 1.30PM) AGES 2+ (YOUNGER SIBLINGS WELCOME) TICKETS: FROM ÂŁ4.50 WWW.KINGSPLACE.CO.UK 020 7520 1490 90 YORK WAY, N1 9AG
Mr Brahms for tiny ears. From whispered lullabies to daredevil dances, welcome to the wonderful world of Brahms told through music and puppets. Aurora players once more team up with Little Angel Theatre for a magical afternoon of musical storytelling as part of the Kings Place Festival.
4–13 october
ETO Au t u mn Tour
1. BRITTEN ALBERT HERRING 2. MAXWELL DAVIES THE LIGHTHOUSE 3. ULLMANN THE EMPEROR OF ATLANTIS / J S BACH CHRIST LAG IN TODESBANDEN ENGLISH TOURING OPERA LINBURY STUDIO THEATRE, ROYAL OPERA HOUSE COVENT GARDEN WC2E 9DD 4–13 OCTOBER TOURING NATIONWIDE FROM 15 OCTOBER FOR MORE DETAILS SEE WWW.ENGLISHTOURINGOPERA.ORG.UK
Lost and found. Aurora joins the UK’s leading touring opera company for a trio of productions at the Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and on a nationwide tour. The season celebrates some of the most dramatically surefooted opera of the twentieth century, with operas written in the 1940s, 50s and 60s which could hardly be more diverse. A bold programme features Britten’s bittersweet comedy Albert Herring, Maxwell Davies’ haunting work on the disappearance of three Scottish lighthouse keepers, and The Emperor of Atlantis (Der Kaiser von Atlantis), composed when Ullmann was held in Terezin concentration camp.
14 sunday
october
MICHAEL GORDON DECASIA WITH FILM BY BILL MORRISON NICHOLAS COLLON CONDUCTOR QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL, SOUTHBANK CENTRE SUNDAY 14 OCTOBER (7.30PM) FOR TICKET INFORMATION VISIT WWW.SOUTHBANKCENTRE.CO.UK/ETHER 0844 875 0073 BELVEDERE ROAD, SE1 8XX
Take one orchestra. Detune. Amplify. Add film. Decay. Aurora closes the Southbank Centre’s 2012 Ether Festival with the UK première of Decasia, widely regarded as one of the great cross-arts collaborations of the twenty-first century so far. Constructed from severely decayed archival footage, Bill Morrison’s film was cut to Michael Gordon’s matching soundworld of decay, with a large amplified orchestra playing music that Alex Ross describes as ‘wedding the hypnotic aura of minimalism to the detuned snarl of highbrow punk’.
18 sunday
november
INCLUDING MAHLER (ARR. IAIN FARRINGTON) SYMPHONY NO. 1 PLUS KLEZMER, WITH SPECIAL GUESTS TO BE ANNOUNCED LSO ST LUKE’S SUNDAY 18 NOV (7PM) TICKETS: £12 / £18 / £25 WWW.LSO.CO.UK/LSOSTLUKES 020 7638 8891 161 OLD STREET, EC1V 9NG
Klezmer–Klezma–Klezmah–Klezmahler. By turns elegiac, sorrowful and celebratory, the astonishingly rich tradition of European Jewish folk music might have been lost completely as a result of the Holocaust, but survived and came to flourish anew in the Jewish diaspora. This project pairs the sounds of klezmer with the first symphonic creation of Gustav Mahler, whose own fascination with traditional folk music is vividly evident in this work. Iain Farrington’s new chamber orchestra arrangement of the symphony follows in the footsteps of Schoenberg’s Mahler reductions of the 1920s, bringing intimacy and piercing clarity whilst stretching players to the furthest limits of virtuosity.
15 saturday
december
BRAHMS DOUBLE BRAHMS (ARR. BERIO) CLARINET SONATA NO. 1 IN F MINOR BRAHMS DOUBLE CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN, CELLO AND ORCHESTRA ANTHONY MARWOOD VIOLIN CHRISTOPH RICHTER CELLO TIMOTHY ORPEN CLARINET NICHOLAS COLLON CONDUCTOR KINGS PLACE HALL ONE, 15 DEC (7.30PM) TICKETS: £9.50 / £16.50 / £21.50 / £29.50 / £34.50 / £39.50 WWW.KINGSPLACE.CO.UK 020 7520 1490 90 YORK WAY, N1 9AG
Hear double. World-class soloists Anthony Marwood and Christoph Richter join Aurora for Brahms’ magnificent Double Concerto, a work of extraordinary warmth and character. Teamed with Berio’s exquisite orchestral arrangement of the much-loved Clarinet Sonata No. 1, performed by Aurora principal Timothy Orpen, Aurora’s season finale celebrates Brahms at his finest.
aurora orchestra
principal conductor & artistic director
general manager
Nicholas Collon
John Harte
principal players
participation and learning manager
Jane Mitchell principal first violin and leader
Thomas Gould
orchestral manager
Sarah Roseblade co-principal first violin
Alexandra Wood
concerts administrator
Jack Lowe second violin
Jamie Campbell
media relations
Claire Willis, ElevenTenths PR viola
Max Baillie
stage manager
Dinis Sousa cello
Oliver Coates
arranger-in-residence
Iain Farrington flute
Jane Mitchell oboe
Thomas Barber clarinet
trustees
Hannah Barry 
Jonathan Deakin Sanjivan Kohli Thomas Ponsonby Louis Watt
Timothy Orpen honorary patron bassoon
Sir Colin Davis
Chris Cooper honorary advisory patron trumpet
Dr Jill White
Simon Cox horn
Nicolas Fleury piano
John Reid percussion
Henry Baldwin
aurora orchestra The Music Base, Kings Place 90 York Way, London N1 9AG, UK +44 (0)20 7014 2806 info@auroraorchestra.com www.twitter.com/auroraorchestra www.facebook.com/auroraorchestra www.auroraorchestra.com Aurora is a UK registered charity, no. 1116352. All listings correct as of December 2011. Aurora reserves the right to make changes to published artist and programme details where necessary.
aurora 2012 london venues
for full venue details including access information, please visit individual venue websites Kings Place www.kingsplace.co.uk
Little Angel Theatre www.littleangeltheatre.com
Roundhouse www.roundhouse.org.uk
Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden www.roh.org.uk
LSO St Luke’s www.lso.co.uk/lsostlukes
Wigmore Hall www.wigmore-hall.org.uk
Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall www.southbankcentre.co.uk
acknowledgments new moves series sponsors
cross-art form commissions supported by the jerwood charitable foundation
the-a-train Aurora’s Friends & Patrons scheme was renamed ‘The A-Train’ after Duke Ellington’s jazz classic ‘Take the A-Train’, played as the encore to the orchestra’s fifth birthday concert on 19 March, 2010.
patrons Monica Bertoni GML International Ltd An Anonymous Foundation An Anonymous Donor Eduardo Tamraz Graham and Jackie Brown Thomas Ponsonby The Paul Morgan Foundation Helen and Richard Sheldon
chair sponsors
Helen and Richard Sheldon . . . Principal Conductor Paul Barber . . . Principal Oboe Dominique Collon . . . Principal First Violin Gill and Andy Cooper . . . Principal Bassoon Alastair and Elisabeth Colquhoun . . . Principal Flute Toni Griffiths and Peter Scott . . . Principal Clarinet Eleanor and David Harte . . . Principal Cello Valli and Gregorio Kohon . . . Principal Percussion Anne Lee . . . Principal Horn Richard Lee . . . Principal Second Violin Irene Mackay . . . Principal Trumpet John Rhodes . . . Co-Principal First Violin Clive Tulloch . . . Principal Viola
supporters Monika Pruetzel-Thomas
Sebastian Scotney
Sona Watt
Aurora gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following bodies:
digital people
season brochure credits Concert illustrations and collages: Nick Eagleton, with special thanks to Bea de Leval (aged 6) Introduction photographs (p.3) by Simon Weir, www.simonweir.com, except for puppeteer and children’s concert audience images, bottom right, by Piero Zagami. Aurora portraits (p.16): Nick Eagleton Map (p.18): Simon Evans, www.bunchoffives.com With thanks to Kate Wakeling for additional text Printed on recycled paper stock by The Newspaper Club, www.newspaperclub.com Front cover image © Jens Haas / Photonica / Getty Images. Used with permission.
www.auroraorchestra.com
aurora in the uk press, 2011:
Aurora “Exquisite perfection.” hilary finch, the times
“Startlingly good performances from Collon and the orchestra, fizzing with energy and enthusiasm.” andrew clements, the guardian
“It is hard to imagine performances more assured and expressive.” howard goldstein, bbc music magazine
“Under Collon, the playing was vividly exuberant, yet still thoughtful and stylish. The average age of the orchestra can’t be a day over 30, and the musicians play as if they have something to prove.” erica jeal, the guardian
“Britain’s brightest young ensemble.” geoff brown, the times
“It all made you feel as though you wished Collon and his Aurora Orchestra would simply take over for all the Proms.” hilary finch, the times
“Astonishing heat and fervour.” ivan hewett, the telegraph
“To launch a new orchestra, Aurora, in the cut-throat musical marketplace that is London requires courage and conviction. To sustain it through five seasons, during which you programme everything from Lully to Adams, shows brilliance as well as bravado.” richard morrison, the times
www.auroraorchestra.com Aurora Orchestra, The Music Base, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG T: +44 (0)20 7014 2806 E: info@auroraorchestra.com resident at:
associate orchestra at: winner of the rps ensemble music award